Infinity Results - Start to finish

[Cryatal_Image]

ok well i am still in the dark here. Ive heard that the spray on UV is really good, C2P and Infinity are great as well. I really need to know which is the "BETTER" item to get, which would shine like new when complete, able to give a confident 1-2 year warranty if not more. I could go on and on. Something i do not need is worring about the customer getting home and seeing a fly that is now stuck like glue on his light..lol
Please keep in mind ive only done my wifes headlights which mad me want to get into this more in depth. The only thing i did with those is sand using 500, 800, and polish with 3000 pad and then applied a 3M wax coating with buffer. There are still scratches from the elements on them but they were so yellow, so very bad. If a headlight could smoke cigs, you would swear they chain smoked for years. i honestly thought they would have to be replaced. Although on one side, the seal on the light has been broke just enough to allow moisture in, the outside is just awsome. I hear of guys that can fix the seal so that no fogging will occur and moisture is takin out. Not sure how that is done but back to the question about the UV protectant.
Just because we are a mobile unit, i would say that for now the spray on wouldnt benefit us due to the wind and we being from NEBRASKA, fighting the summer heat and winter sub zero temps are the main problem.

[pommy]

Hi,

Which spray on do you mean? There are quite a few out there, the simplest and cheapest is from Glass Technology.

I've used it and it offers no shine, no scratch coverage - its simply a UV coating, wipe on, wipe off.

The Infinity on the other hand is a different animal, it is basically a nail varnish if you like.

It makes a gloss finish and is almost impossible to get off once cured - even with a screwdriver! (yes, I've tested this stuff closely with Brent and Korey from Delta)

Get a hair dryer, the Infinity dries really fast - fastest product I've tested.

I personally see no option other than to use Infinity against all other products I've tried - with water clean up and no shelf life - I can't fault it.

[Cryatal_Image]

ok uhh, yea i guess thats pretty hard stuff wow! The spray i was talking about is an 8 oz. pump spray from equalizer. I need to upgrade though as its a bit older. Got it years ago still uses the alum hand pump with pressure gauge

[glassdoctor]

I can't comment on which I think is better, because I haven't been using the Infinity (I'm hoping to try it for the first time next week) and even if I try it and really like it.... I'm not sure what to think, because it's a new product. I know it's been in testing for a while, but I'm still not sure what exactly they have for actual long term results in real world conditions. Sounds like good stuff though.

Even with the UV cure coatings, I don't have first hand test results to prove that it's going to last 2-3 years. But I've been told that others do have those results, and I don't have reason to doubt them. What I do know is that I like the results that I HAVE seen in using it in recent months. It produces a nice hard clear finish that is holding up great so far. These "UV coatings" are a urethane clear coat that cure with UV exposure. It's not just a wipe on "uv protectant" like the GT spray bottle stuff. That stuff appears similar to 303 brand uv plastic protectant. My guess is that's probably exactly what it is. I used 303 when I was only polishing lights. I also use it on my camper and boat trailer tires.

I don't consider the Dvelup, C2P, Minwax, etc... to be in the same class as the UV cured clearcoats, just due to durability concerns. It's a shame, because for me, this stuff made doing headlights really easy. These products can look great, but it doesn't last "long enough". I want to be clear that I did not use the C2P product, but reports given by others show that the results are basically the same with all of them. None of them are lasting much over a year before failing. Thus the issues with a warranty. Even if it did stay clear for like 2-3 years, I'm concerned how it will stand up long term to scuffs, bugs, etc. It's a lot softer than the factory coating.

Anyway, bottom line is the Infinity sounds really good, especially the part about it being very tough. Thanks for those who are posting results.

[Cryatal_Image]

[quote="glassdoctor"] It's not just a wipe on "uv protectant" like the GT spray bottle stuff. That stuff appears similar to 303 brand uv plastic protectant. My guess is that's probably exactly what it is. quote]

Yes, that is exactly what it is GDOC. They call it a "UV spray plastic protectant." So rather than me getting anything like that, say C2P is what i am needing to buy so after polishing with the 3000 polisher, i cover the lights. (no wax and buffing involved).
What i dont understand, you buy a brand new light from a dealership and they are (1) yr warranty correct? Why is a 1 yr to short for a restoration. Nothing last forever, everything must fail as some point. If it didnt, then there would be no need for techs and we sure wouldnt be here talking about this

[glassdoctor]

It's not just a wipe on "uv protectant" like the GT spray bottle stuff. That stuff appears similar to 303 brand uv plastic protectant. My guess is that's probably exactly what it is. quote]

Yes, that is exactly what it is GDOC. They call it a "UV spray plastic protectant." So rather than me getting anything like that, say C2P is what i am needing to buy so after polishing with the 3000 polisher, i cover the lights. (no wax and buffing involved).
What i dont understand, you buy a brand new light from a dealership and they are (1) yr warranty correct? Why is a 1 yr to short for a restoration. Nothing last forever, everything must fail as some point. If it didnt, then there would be no need for techs and we sure wouldnt be here talking about this

Well the warranty thing is simple I think. A new light from a dealer has the 1 year warranty because it's a sort of universal standard policy. Same as many other consumer goods.

If you buy a new OEM headlight, it's going to last a minimum of 2-3 years, and likely will be good for at least 4-5 years... or however long the original set of lights lasted. And even if it's like a Toyota Camry and starts to fail after about 3 years.... it's a slow process where it gradually looks worse over the next couple of years.

So that is a huge difference in comparison with a 1 yr warranty that is 1 year because that's the max you can get away with. The refinished headlight with varnish coating might look good for about a year, but it is going to go bad before much longer. And when when it does go bad.... it can get real ugly real quick. That is completely different than an OEM replacement.

I want to be able to offer a standard 1 year warranty, but with the confidence that it will last much longer.... 2-3 years at least. That would put my work on par with some of the factory OEM lights that I see starting to fail at 3 years.

BTW, I've seen people buy ebay/refurb headlights... only to have them go bad in a short time. One guy had "new" ford ranger lights only last like 6 months before yellowing. So buyer beware on refurb or cheap aftermarket units.

[pommy]

Interesting...

I used to go around the smash repair shops and get scratched or damaged lights - fix them up and sell them on eBay - but I used to do it properly.

There can be good money in fixing wall-scratched headlights - and they are real easy to repair, even with deep scores in them.



Regarding warranty - I'm pretty lucky that 95% of my HLR work is on used car lots - so if they have the same car on the lot for over a year, they're in the wrong business!

My WSR is 50-50 retail and commercial for me, thank god that the Delta kit is perfect for both customers with perfect results every time.

[glassdoctor]

LOL maybe it was yours! The ranger lights was several years ago. My HLR has been always been almost exclusively dealer lots, partly because that's just what my business is... and partly because I've never had something I felt was appropriate to sell retail. Dealers do all sorts of reconditioning to fluff cars for the lot, some things more permanent than others. Polishing headlights is in line with many things they do, even if it only lasts a few months. With a full polish job, one good thing is that when it "goes bad", at least there is not any sanding marks that can reappear, and no old remaining coating to remove again.... a quick polish will bring it back pretty decent again.

[pommy]

Oh I agree with that! If only there was a polish with UV that "cured"...

Sometimes it's hard to talk garages that already polish into getting a full HLR, they say the car won't be on the lot in 3 month anyway

On a personal note, If I was to buy a car that the lights turned bad after a few months, there is no way I'd let them take it back in for a polish until the next time - I'd demand new lights, telling them it was a cover-up job.

...which incidentally is the way I sell it.

[glassdoctor]

I like it.

Question on the Infinity... any idea if this stuff would bond well (theoretically of course) in these circumstances:
1. headlight that's in good condition, like new.... just cleaned properly and then apply coating.
2. same as #1, except hit with 3000 grit pad first.

Does it seem to work ok when part of the lens has been stripped of the failed portion of the original clear coat, but the rest of the lens is just blended in and sanded with the last step or two, but not actually removed?

I think it's fine to leave the factory coating there, when most of the lens is in like new condition, and only the top that's most exposed to the sun is what is damaged. But the company line on some products is that the old coating all needs to come off. I understand why this may need to be the recommended procedure, but I doubt it's actually because it will make a difference. Most products I have tried appear to work fine either way. Just wondering.... because this type of situation is exactly where I think Infinity can work great for me.